Wad for shotgun shells

ABSTRACT

A shotgun shell wad in the form of a one piece structure formed from polyethylene or the like including an obturating disc or cup and a shot cup or protector in spaced apart relation axially of the shell in which the side wall of the cup is segmented petal fashion; a shock absorbing filler connects the disc and cup in the form of pairs of angled struts on either side of the axis of the shell, with the struts of each pair being respectively parallelly angled inwardly of the shell axis to define folding apexes therein, and with such folding axes being spaced apart axially of the shell, whereby on firing of the shell in which the wad is placed, such struts fold free of interference with each other in cushioning the accelerating forces acting on the shot and recoil acting on the gun. The connection of the struts to the cup is such that the folding action of the struts arcs the floor of the cup to fling wide open the cup petals when the wad leaves the gun muzzle, making for quick drop away of the wad from flight.

United States Patent [191 Starcevich (4 1 Apr. 17, 1973 [22] Filed:

[ WAD FOR SHOTGUN SHELLS [76] Inventor: Samuel Starcevich, 306 MillsRoad,

Joliet, lll. 60433 Oct. 21, 1971 [2]] Appl. No.: 191,382

52 U.S. c1. ..102/95, 102/42 c 51 int. Cl ..F42b 7/08 58 Field oi Search..102/42 c, 95

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,217,648 11/1965 Foote etalum, 102/42 C 3,402,664 9/1968 Cramer 102/42 C Primary Examiner-RobertF. Stahl AttorneyRobert C. Brown, Jr. et a].

' 57 ABSTRACT A shotgun -shell wad in the forth of a one piece structureformed from polyethylene or the like including an obturating disc or cupand a shot cup or protector in spaced apart relation axially of theshell in which the side wall of the cup is segmented petal fashion; ashock absorbing filler connects the disc and cup in the form' of pairsof angled struts on either side of the axis of the shell, with thestruts of each pair being respectively parallelly angled inwardly of theshell axis to define folding apexes therein, and with such folding 3Claim, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEU 1 3.727. 557

lNVEN TOR SAMUEL STARCEVICH %m, gazi g/W1.

ATTORNEYS WAD FOR SHOTGUN SHELLS This invention relates to a wad forshotgun shells, and more particularly, to a one piece wad structurecombining an obturating disc or cup, a shot cup or protector, and afiller in the form of a shock absorbing strut structure of specialfolding characteristics.

Moehlman et al. US. Pat. No. 3,285,174 and Cramer US. Pat. No. 3,402,664are illustrative of recent efforts to combine in one wad structure theobturating cup, the shot protector, and filler. Combinations of thistype, to be successful, have a rather critical requirement that thefiller be sufficiently collapsible or contractible to adequately cushionthe shot and reduce recoil, but yet to sufficiently stiff to transfer tothe shot the acceleration required to effect the desired projection ofthe shot from the gun muzzle in a stable pattern.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a wad for shotgunshells that has a novel filler portion arranged to compress or contractunder firing of the shell without material interference in providing theshot cushioning desired.

Another principal object of the invention is to provide a wad forshotgun shells in which the filler portion of same is composed of afolding strut structure arranged to insure I interference free foldingaction thereof in collapsing or compressing to cushion the shot, and inso doing, conditions the wad for quick fall out from flight.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a wad for shotgun shellsthat is economical of manufacture, convenient to use, and effective inoperation.

In accordance with this invention, the wad comprises in one piece forman obturating cup and shot protector integrally united by a filler inthe form of angled struts in which the struts define folding apexesarranged so that the struts on either side of the wad longitudinal axisfold in opposite directions in the same plane, and about apexes that arespaced apart longitudinally of the axis of the wad. The shot protectorhas its side wall in the form of sections or petals extending generallylongitudinally of the wad, and the connection of the struts to the cupfloor are such that the folding of the struts arcs the cup floor in amanner that when the wad leaves the gun muzzle, the cup petals flingwide open or, which, when unrestrained, outwardly of the axis of the wadfor effective shot release and flight drop out.

Still other objects, uses and advantages will be obvious or becomeapparent from a consideration of the following detailed description andthe application drawings. I

In the drawings: FIG. I is a longitudinal sectional view through ashotgun shell equipped with the wad of this invention, diagrammaticallyillustrating familiar components of the shell and the wad of thisinvention as associated therewith;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the wad shown in FIG. I; g

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, but taken from the righthand side of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is atop plan view ofthe wad shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the action of the wad inmoving through a shotgun barrel on firing of the shell of which the wadforms a part; and

FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views (on a reduced scale) along lines66 and 77, respectively, of FIG. 4, showing the wad after it has beenused.

However, it is to be understood that the drawing illustrations providedare supplied primarily to comply with the requirements of the PatentCode, and that the invention may have other embodiments that areintended to be covered by the appended claims.

Reference numeral 10 of FIG. 1 generally indicates a shell equipped witha wad 12 of this invention. As is conventional, the shell 10 generallycomprises cylindrical casing 14 and metallic base 16 in the form of acylindrical portion 18, an end wall portion 20 receiving the end 22 ofthe casing 14, and defining a primer receiving opening 24 in whichprimer 26 is received.

In the particular shotgun shell illustrated, the powder charge 28 isreceived within the end 22 of the casing 22, which casing is in turnreceived within wall 18 of base 16. As suggested by Comerford US. Pat.No. 3,266,421, a base wad 30 is provided in the lower end of casing 14through which extends a firing channel 32 that opens into powderreceiving cavity 34. Primer 26 extends axially of the shell into thefiring channel 32, the primer 26 igniting the powder charge 28 in theusual manner of a central fire type shotgun shell.

The wad 12 is telescoped within the casing 14 over the powder charge 28and receives the individual shot elements 36. The terminal portions 37of the end 38 of easing l4-are folded over against the shot and wad in aconventional manner, as indicated at 40 to retain the shell in assembledcondition in the usual and conventional manner.

The wad 12 itself is more specifically illustrated in I FIGS. 2, 3 and 4and generally comprises an obturating cup 42 connected to a shotprotector or cup 44 by a strut type filler structure 46 of specialsignificance.

In accordance with this invention, the filler structure 46 comprises, inthe form shown, a first pair 50 of struts or columns 52 and 54 on oneside of the axial center line 56 of the wad, and a second set 58 ofstruts or columns 60 and 62 on the other side of the said axis 56.

As indicated in FIGS. 1 3 and 5, the struts 52, 54, 60 and 62 are ofribbon or strip like configuration of generally elongate quadrilateralconfiguration in transverse cross section. The struts of the pairs ofstruts 50 and 58 are oriented relative to the obturating disc and shotcup such that the long dimensions of their said transversecross-sectional configurations are in substantialparallelism. In otherwords, the struts 52, 54, 60 and 62 extend generally longitudinally ofthe axis of the wad in generally parallel relation, as distinguishedfrom having their transverse cross-sectional configurations at rightangles to each other.

However, in accordance with this invention, the struts of the pairs ofstruts 50 and 58 are not rectilinear throughout their lengths, but areangled inwardly of the wad. Thus, the struts 52 and 54 each compriserectilinear portions 64 merging into rectilinear portions 66 at therespective folding apexes 68 while the struts 60 and 62 each compriserectilinear portions 70 merging into rectilinear portions 72 at therespective folding apexes 74.

In addition, it is to be noted that the apexes 68 of the struts 52 and54 are at the same location axially of the wad along the lengths of thestruts, but are spaced axially of the wad from the corresponding apexes74 of struts 60 and 62. The apexes 74 of the struts 60 and 62 areequivalently located longitudinally of the axis of the wad.

In a commercial embodiment of the invention, the apexes 68 of the struts52 and 54 (in the unstressed condition of same) are located aboutone-third of the distance from the shot cup 44 to the obturating disc42. The apexes 74 of the struts 60 and 62, however, are located abouttwo-thirds of this distance.

As indicated in FIG. 3, the inner struts 54 and 62 are of greater widththan the outer struts 52 and 60.

The obturating disc or cup 42 is in the form of planar wall 80 equippedwith a depending annular lip or skirt 82 that is relatively thin incross-sectional dimension so that it obturates or expands outwardlyreadily to form a gas seal, initially with the inner surface 84 of theshell casing 14, and then with inner surface 86 of the gun barrel 88.

The shot protecting cup 44 generally comprises a generally planar basewall 90 having integrally united with same an upstanding side wall 92that is segmented longitudinally of the axis of the wad to definesections or petals 94, which preferably are formed to have theconventional built in flare outwardly of the axis of the wad, in theirunstressed condition on the order of 5 to degrees off of parallelismwith the axis of the wad (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Reception of the wad inthe shell 14 brings the petals or sections 94 into close cylindricaladjacency for receiving the individual shot elements 36 in the mannerindicated in FIG. 1.

The struts 52, 54, 60 and 62 are integrally united with cup wall 90, andin accordance with this invention, the improved folding action achievedby these struts arcs the cup wall in the manner indicated in FIGS. 6 and7 such that as the wad leaves the gun muzzle, the cup petals areliterally flung outwardly or open wide, under the bias applied by thearced configuration of wall 90 after firing of the shell. This petalflinging action positions the cup petals wide open for quick flight dropout. FIGS. 6 and 7 show the wad in its condition after use, with the cupwall arced and petals 94 outwardly flared at angles on the order of toor more.

The wad 12, in the preferred form of the invention, is of one piececonstructure formed by a suitable injection molding procedure employinga suitable plastic material such as polyethylene or the like. In acommercial form of the invention, the wad 12 is made from EastmanChemical Products, Inc.s low density polyethylene 811A. The walls 80 and90 and the pairs of struts 50 and 58 are made of sufficient thickness tobe relatively stiff though not rigid, while skirt 82 and petals 94 aresufficiently thin in thickness to be pliant in a relatively flexiblemanner.

The wad 12 is assembled in the shell 10 in the manner indicated in FIG.1 following standard loading procedures. On firing of the shell 10, theexpanding gases resulting act upon the obturating cup 42 to cause itsseal 82 to flare outwardly against the inner surface 84 of the casing 14in sealing relation therewith, with the propellant forces involved beingtransmitted wad from the apexes 74, the pairs of struts S0 and 58through the strut structure 46 to the base wall 90 of the shot cup 44and thence to the column of shot elements that are contained in the shotcup. During the transmisfold towards each other without any interferencewhat soever even though they do fold in the same plane. As indicated inFIG. 5, the pairs of struts 50 and 58 could fold substantially flatwithout interference, but in practice the folding action is not greatlyin excess of that indicated in FIG. 5.

The material from which the wad 12 is formed is sufficiently stiff sothat the strut folding action indicated is accomplished with absorptionof an adequate amount of the accelerating forces applied to the shot toadequately cushion the shot and reduce recoil. The struts are stifflyflexible, with the folding apexes 68 and 74 defining the folding actionhinge point of the respective struts. As already indicated, the foldingaction of the struts arcs wall 90, tending to tilt its outer rimoutwardly, and thus sugnificantly increasing the cup petals foroutwardly flinging action that is provided by the conventional outwardflare that is built into the petals (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The tiltingaction provided is relatively uniform about the rim of wall 90, so thatall the petals 94 have substantially the same outward flare after thewad has been used (see FIGS. 6 and 7) even though strut pairs 50 and 58fold in a coplanar relation.

As the wad leaves the shell, and travels down the barrel 88 of theshotgun, the shot remain inside the shot cup 44 and the lip 82 of theobturating disc flares outwardly against the inner wall 86 of the barrel88. This maintains the propellant forces on the wad and prevents leadingof the barrel or distortion of the shot elements. Petals 94 remainconfined in closed relation as the wad moves up the gun barrel.

As the wad 12 leaves the gun barrel 88, the petals or sections 94 ofshot cup 44 are freed to respond to the substantial outward tilting biasthat is applied to them by the tilting of wall 90 and fling outwardly,thus shaping the cup 44 so that air resistance will tend to immediatelyfully open same up for ready drop out of the wad from the air to leavethe shot to move on toward the target in a favorable pattern. Wad 12thus drops to the ground close to gun user.

The foregoing description and the drawings are given merely to explainand illustrate the invention and the invention is not to be limitedthereto, except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, sincethose skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will beable to make modifications and variations therein without departing fromthe scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a wad for shotgun shells in which the wad is of the type includingan obturating disc and a shot cup in substantial axial alignment alongthe longitudinal central axis of the wad, and shock absorbing means forconnecting said disc and cup together in spaced apart relation, theimprovement wherein said shock absorbing means comprises:

a first pair of struts on one side of said wad axis connected andextending between said disc and said cup,

and a second pair of struts on the other side of said wad axis connectedand extending between said disc and said cup,

said struts each being of strip form having an elongate quadrilateralconfiguration in transverse cross section along their lengths and beingoriented relative to said disc and said cup such that the longdimensions of their said cross section configuration are in substantialparallelism,

said pairs of struts being respectively parallelly angled inwardly ofsaid axis to define folding apexes therein that are in parallelism,

said folding apexes of said first pair of struts being spaced axially ofsaid wad from said folding apexes of said second pair of struts and saidstruts of each pair of struts each comprising substantially parallelrectilinear portions in which the rectilinear portions of the respectivestruts merge at the apex of the strut,

said improvement further comprising said cup being in the form of a baseto which said struts are respectively connected and a side wall definingpetals extending longitudinally thereof,

whereby, on firing of a shell containing said wad,

propellant forces acting on said disc fold the struts of the respectivepairs of struts about their respective folding apexes free of strutinterference,

with the portions of said struts extending between the respectivefolding apexes and said cup base being made fast to said cup base withsaid strut portions of the respective strut pairs being in spacedrelation whereby the folding of said struts angles said strut portionsrelative to said wad axis to effect arcing of said cup base in thedirection of the wad disc whereby said cup petals are under substantialbias to flare outwardly of the cup for outward flinging thereof relativeto said wad axis as the wad leaves the gun nozzle.

2. The wad set forth in claim 1 wherein:

the folding apexes of said first pair of struts are equally spaced fromsaid disc,

and the folding apexes of said second pair of struts are equally spacedfrom said cup.

3. The wad set forth in claim 2 wherein:

the inner struts of the respective pairs of struts are of greaterdimension parallelly of said apexes than the outer struts thereof.

1. In a wad for shotgun shells in which the wad is of the type includingan obturating disc and a shot cup in substantial axial alignment alongthe longitudinal central axis of the wad, and shock absorbing means forconnecting said disc and cup together in spaced apart relation, theimprovement wherein said shock absorbing means comprises: a first pairof struts on one side of said wad axis connected and extending betweensaid disc and said cup, and a second pair of struts on the other side ofsaid wad axis connected and extending between said disc and said cup,said struts each being of strip form having an elongate quadrilateralconfiguration in transverse cross section along their lengths and beingoriented relative to said disc and said cup such that the longdimensions of their said cross section configuration are in substantialparallelism, said pairs of struts being respectively parallelly angledinwardly of said axis to define folding apexes therein that are inparallelism, said folding apexes of said first pair of struts beingspaced axially of said wad from said folding apexes of said second pairof struts and said struts of each pair of struts each comprisingsubstantially parallel rectilinear portions in which the rectilinearportions of the respective struts merge at the apex of the strut, saidimprovement further comprising said cup being in the form of a base towhich said struts are respectively connected and a side wall definingpetals extending longitudinally thereof, whereby, on firing of a shellcontaining said wad, propellant forces acting on said disc fold Thestruts of the respective pairs of struts about their respective foldingapexes free of strut interference, with the portions of said strutsextending between the respective folding apexes and said cup base beingmade fast to said cup base with said strut portions of the respectivestrut pairs being in spaced relation whereby the folding of said strutsangles said strut portions relative to said wad axis to effect arcing ofsaid cup base in the direction of the wad disc whereby said cup petalsare under substantial bias to flare outwardly of the cup for outwardflinging thereof relative to said wad axis as the wad leaves the gunnozzle.
 2. The wad set forth in claim 1 wherein: the folding apexes ofsaid first pair of struts are equally spaced from said disc, and thefolding apexes of said second pair of struts are equally spaced fromsaid cup.
 3. The wad set forth in claim 2 wherein: the inner struts ofthe respective pairs of struts are of greater dimension parallelly ofsaid apexes than the outer struts thereof.